Multi-angle bracket



May 11, 1965 e. H. SEDO MULTI-ANGLE BRACKET Filed Aug. 29. 1963 6E 5500e INVENTOR.

29 30 477IOQ/VE/ United States Patent 3,182,945 MULTI-ANGLE BRACKETGerald H. Sedo, West Covina, Calif., assignor to M & D Store Fixtures,Inc., a corporation of California Filed Aug. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 305,290Claims. (Cl. 248-242) This invention relates to shelf supportingmulti-angle brackets and particularly to such a bracket as is comprisedof a single integral entity.

These brackets are widely used in store fixtures for supporting shelvesat various angles on perforated vertical posts, the angle at which thebracket is supported on the post being determined by the operatorschoice of one of several ways in which the bracket is adapted tointerengage with edges of the perforations in said post.

In certain well-known brackets of this general type, such as that shownin US. Patent No. 3,089,675 issued to Gordon Lozier on May 14, 1963, thebracket may be selectively assembled on a post at any one of fourdifferent angles relative thereto. The assembly, in each instance,however, requires rotation of the bracket about a horizontal transverseaxis after a certain one of a plurality of lugs formed rearwardly fromthe butt end of the bracket has been inserted through one of saidperforations. This is to bring an upturned hook formed on the upper edgeof said one lug into hooked relation behind the upper edge of saidperforation while rotating another surface of the bracket into supportedrelation with the bottom edge of a lower perforation of said post and,finally bringing an abutment surface of the bracket against the outerface of the post below the last mentioned perforation.

In the patented bracket mentioned, these three accommodations of thebracket to the post must be differently performed in mounting thebracket on the post in the respective different inclinations of which itis capable. There is a degree of time consuming complexity thus involvedin selecting the desired angle for each of a substantial number ofbrackets in changing the shelf angle in a large store fixture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-angle shelfbracket for use in store fixtures, the operation of which, in selectingthe angle therefor, will be relatively simple and rapidly performed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multiangle shelf brackethaving a choice between three angles, each of which may be selectedmerely by holding the bracket at the angle which has been selected,inserting the attaching lugs concerned horizontally rearwardly throughthe perforations located at the level where the bracket is to bemounted, and then bodily translating the bracket directly downwardlyinto its desired mounted position on the post.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a bracket whichslightly resists such final downward movement of the bracket, requiringthis to be driven into its completely assembled relation with said post,thereby preventing accidental dislodgement of said bracket from saidposition.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a bracket which,in each of its two most commonly used angles, where the shelf loads areheavy, the bracket has connection with the post over the area covered bya vertical column of three consecutive perforations in the post, whilein its third angle, less commonly used and in which the shelf loads arerelatively light, the bracket has connection over an area of two suchconsecutive perforations.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such a bracket inwhich a downward notch in an upper lug of the bracket is adapted toserve in holding the bracket in either of two different angles.

3,182,945 Patented May 11, 1965 The manner of accomplishing theforegoing object as well as further objects and advantages will be mademanifest in the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic fragmentaryelevational view of the butt end portion of a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention showing this mounted on a perforated vertical postwith the bracket in steeply forwardly inclined relation with the post.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the bracket of the inventionmounted on said post in horizontal or perpendicular relation therewith.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and illustrates the invention mountedon said post with said bracket in a slightly upwardly inclined relationwith said post.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the X notch provided inthe upper lug of the invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings, a multi-angle bracket 10 isshown therein as being mounted in each of three different positions on aperforated sheet steel channel post 11.

The bracket 10 is stamped out of a flat sheet of cold rolled steel of athickness of about 14 gage and is made in different lengths running from8 inches to 16 inches. The bracket 10 has straight upper edge 12 whichis provided with one or more notches 13 for accommodating reinforcingflanges which extend downwardly from shelves (not shown) and which thebrackets 10 are provided for supporting with the shelves lying fiatagainst the upper edges 12 of said brackets. The brackets 10 are ofcourse normally used in pairs to support a shelf with one bracket undereach end portion of the shelf.

Each bracket 10 has a butt end 14 from which three attaching lugs extendrearwardly, all of these lying of course in the flat plane of thebracket 10. These lugs are separately identified as upper lug 15, lowerlug 16 and bottom lug 17.

These lugs are adapted to cooperate with a vertical row of perforationsor slots 18 which are uniform in length and uniformly spaced verticallyin a central web 19 of the channel post 11. The lugs 15 and 16 are soshaped and dimensioned and spaced vertically from each other that whenthe bracket 10 is held horizontally as shown in FIG. 2, but detachedfrom the post 11 and is then moved longitudinally, which is to sayhorizontally, towards the post 11 with lugs 15 and 16 aligned with avertically adjacent pair of slots 18, these lugs will pass entirely intosaid two slots.

It is now to be noted that lower edges of lugs 15 and 16 are providedwith two pairs of downwardly facing notches one notch of each pair beingin each of these lugs, with these notches being identified as the firstpair of primary notches 25 and 26 and the second pair or secondarynotches 27 and 28. Now it is to be noted that after the lugs 15 and 16have been translated horizontally through an adjacent pair of slots 18with the bracket 10 held horizontally, all that remains to be done inorder to mount the bracket on the post with the bracket disposedhorizontally, is to translate, that is, move the bracket bodilydownwardly, into the position into which it is shown in FIG. 2. Here wesee that primary notches 25 and 26 in the base portions of the lugs 15and 16 have received lower edges of the two slots 18 through which theselugs have been extended, so as to fix the bracket 10 horizontally on thepost 11. The mounting of the bracket on the post is seen to be assistedb a notch 29 provided outwardly in the lower edge of bottom lug 17engaging and embracing the lower edge of a third slot 18 which isdisposed opposite the lug 17. Lug 17 also ha another notch 30 located ina base portion of its lower edge.

The pair of secondary notches 27 and 28 provided in lower edges of lugs15 and 16 are adapted to be employed as shown in FIG. 3 in which thesenotches are caused to receive lower edges of adjacent slots 18 so as tomount the bracket on the post 11 with the straight edge 12 of thebracket inclined upwardly with respect to the post.

It is now to be noted that the side edges 31 of secondary notch 27 havean hour glass shape which may also be referred to as an X-shape. Thisnotch is thus shaped to facilitate its being alternately employed inconnection with secondary notch 28 as shown in FIG. 3 for mounting thebracket 10 in upwardly inclined relation with the post 11, or to beemployed as shown in FIG. 1 in which secondary notch 27 joins withprimary notch 26 and base notch 30 in lug 17 to receive lower edges ofthree consecutive slots 18 and support the bracket 10 in steepdownwardly inclined relation with the post as shown in this view.

The peculiar outline of secondary notch 27 permits this notch to make aclose fit with the material of the post 11 disposed a substantialdistance downwardly from the lower end of the slot in which the upperlug is disposed for assembling the bracket 10 in either of the twoangular positions shown for this in FIGS. 1 and 3. Another feature ofnotch 27 is that it provides converging edges 31 in the lower endportion thereof which approach a throat 32 formed by the narrowestportion of the notch and which are preferably so spaced that a slightdriving of the bracket will be necessary to force this throat over thematerial of the post 11 just beneath the lower edge of the slot 18 inwhich lug 15 is being manipulated. The friction thus et up between thebracket 10 and the post is sufficient to prevent accidental removal ofthe bracket from the position in which it has been mounted on the post.

From the foregoing description it is believed manifest that the assemblyof bracket 10 on post 11 in either of the three angular relationstherewith, illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, may be easily performed byunskilled labor so that a minimum amount of time and labor cost may beinvolved in modifying the shelf angles in various display equipment inwhich the brackets 10 are employed.

The claims are:

1. In a multi-angle bracket provided for attachment at different angleson a channel shaped sheet metal post having a vertical column ofuniformly spaced slots formed therein, the combination of: a bracket armadapted to support a shelf, said arm having a butt-end which is disposedadjacent said post when said bracket is mounted on the latter; upper andlower lugs extending rearwardly from said butt-end, said lugs being sodimensioned and so spaced vertically as to pass horizontallyrespectively entirely into a vertically spaced pair of said slots whensaid bracket is held horizontally and moved longitudinally butt-endfirst towards said slots, there being a first pair of notchesindividually located in the respective lower edges of said lugs whichnotches individually receive lower edges of different respective ones ofsaid slots when said bracket is translated downwardly with said bracketin a right angular relation with said post, and a second pair of notchesindividually located in the respective lower edges of said lugs whichare adapted to individually receive lower edges of said respective slotswhen said bracket is translated downwardly with said bracket in adifferent angular relation with said post.

2. A bracket as recited in claim 1 wherein the notch in said upper lugof said second pair of notches is shaped to optionally receive thebottom edge of said upper slot when said notch in said lower lug of saidfirst pair of notches is receiving the bottom edge of said lower slotwhen said bracket is translated downwardly with said bracket in a thirdand different angular relation with said post.

3. A bracket as recited in claim 2 wherein a bottom lug is provided toextend rearwardly from the butt-end of said bracket below said lower lugand is so spaced therefrom and so vertically dimensioned as to slideentirely into a third slot located immediately beneath said lower slotaforesaid, when said bracket is inclined downwardly relative to saidpost and translated longitudinally towards said post with said upper andlower lugs extending into said upper and lower slots, said bottom lughaving a base notch in its lower edge which now receives the lower edgeof said third slot when said bracket is translated downwardly to receivethe lower edges of said upper and lower slots respectively in the notchof said second pair in the upper lug and the notch of said first pair inthe lower lug.

4. A bracket as recited in claim 3 wherein said bottom lug has an outernotch in its lower edge which embraces the lower edge of said third slotwhen said bracket is assembled on said post, as aforesaid to form aright angle with said post.

5. A bracket as recited in claim 2 wherein said secondary notch in saidupper lug has an X cross section for guiding said notch into embracingrelation with a lower edge of one of said slots and for snugging the fitbetween said bracket and said post.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,723,893 11/55Gross 248243 2,936,147 5/60 Stewart 248-243 3,089,675 5/ 63 Lozier248242 3,101,923 8/63 Streater 248-242 FOREIGN PATENTS 821,491 10/59Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A MULTI-ANGLE BRACKET PROVIDED FOR ATTACHMENT AT DIFFERENT ANGLESON A CHANNEL SHAPED SHEET METAL POST HAVING A VERTICAL COLUMN OFUNIFORMLY SPACED SLOTS FORMED THEREIN, THE COMBINATION OF: A BRACKET ARMADAPTED TO SUPPORT A SHELF, SAID ARM HAVING A BUTT-END ARM ADAPTED TOSUPADJACENT SAID POST WHEN SAID BRACKET IS MOUNTED ON THE LATTER; UPPERAND LOWER LUGS EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID BUTT-END SAID LUGS BEINGSO DIMENSIONED AND AND SO SPACED VERTICALLY AS TO PASS HORIZONTALLYRESPECTIVELY ENTIRELY INTO A VERTICALLY SPACED PAIR OF SAID SLOTS WHENSAID BRACKET IS HELD HORIZONTALLY AND MOVED LONGITUDINALLY BUTT-ENDFIRST TOWARDS SAID SLOTS, THERE BEING A FIRST PAIR OF NOTCHESINDIVIDUALLY LOCATED IN THE RESPECTIVE LOWER EDGES OF SAID LUGS WHICHNOTCHES INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVE LOWER EDGES OF DIFFERENT RESPECTIVE ONES OFSAID SLOTS WHEN SAID BRACKET IS TRANSLATED DOWNWARDLY WITH SAID BRACKETIN A RIGHT ANGULAR RELATION WITH SAID POST, AND A SECOND PAIR OF NOTCHESINDIVIDUALLY LOCATED IN THE RESPECTIVE LOWER EDGES OF SAID LUGS WHICHARE ADAPTED TO INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVE LOWER EDGES OF SAID RECEIVE SLOTSWHEN SAID BRACKET IS TRANSLATED DOWNWARDLY WITH SAID BRACKET IN ADIFFERENT ANGULAR RELATION WITH POST.